By Shannon McGloin Succulents have gained a crazy amount of popularity over the last few years, and for good reason! If you’ve refrained from believing the hype, it’s time to overcome your prejudice and hop on the succulent train! Here are my top 5 reasons to love succulents. 1. Lots of Variety! There’s a ton of variety as far as colour, leaf shape, and plant structure go, so there’s a lot to choose from. One of the most popular succulents, Jade plants (Crassula ovata), which are often grown as houseplants, have bright green, rounded, fleshy leaves. ‘Flapjack’ Kalanchoes have huge, flat leaves, which are minty green edged with red. Sedums come in endless colours – bright yellow, blues, pinky red, shades of green, rusty brown – and so many forms. Echeveria can have purpley-pink leaves arranged in a rosette, or fuzzy, green-grey, arrow-shaped leaves. Rounded, pointy, juicy, skinny, fuzzy – these are just a few examples of the extensive variety in the wonderful world of succulents. 2. Excellent Drought Tolerance Probably the most attractive (and most widely touted) feature of succulents is their excellent drought tolerance. Their fleshy leaves hold in most of the plant’s moisture, so their watering requirements are much more seldom than that of the majority of flowering annuals. They’re the perfect choice for a hot, sunny spot where other things may not grow, and you don’t have to worry about them if you hop over to camp for the long weekend. 3. They’re Low Maintenance In addition to being drought tolerant, most succulents are also really easy they are to take care of, making them...

I have in my care two linen-bound tomes on the propagations of perennials. Both books, written decades ago, contain an elegance long missing from today’s books on gardening. The publishers of these books weren’t concerned about niche marketing; thus, there is no dumbing down. Not even close. In fact, reading these books is akin to a take-home course on botany, poetry and Greek mythology. They are charming in their sagacious adages( “Nothing without labour”)and nostalgic in their references (“yester-year” anyone?)

It’s hard to believe that it’s this time of year again – November. The leaves have fallen, Halloween has passed, and the holidays are in our reach. Wasn’t it just Canada Day? Weren’t we just starting to get our hands dirty in the soil, planting fresh begonias, callies, and petunias? Unfortunately, we can’t change the inevitable, and it’s time to clean up your garden for the winter. We’ve put together a list of things to take care of before the snow flies.

Picture a garden. Most likely, the first image that comes to mind is a generous space bathed in light. For many of us, this dreamscape isn’t a reality. Many gardeners have to work around shade cast by a north-facing ….

If you’re blessed with a sunny spot in your garden, count your lucky stars! You’ve got much to choose from in our greenhouses. Here are our top picks for best sunny annuals. Just remember to keep them moist!